How to Grow a Cling Peach Tree

Cling peaches are very firm, mostly used for canning, jams and preserves.

Cling peaches are given that name because the flesh of the peach clings to the stone pit, making it difficult to remove. These peaches usually are firmer than other peaches and most often are used for canning, jams and preserves. Tree varieties that produce cling peaches include EarlieGrande, FlordaPrince, Springgold, Bicentennial and Surecrop. Different varieties grow best in different areas of the United States, but none will grow in the hot regions of the South.

Things You'll Need

• Rototiller or hoe
• Spade
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Purchase a cling peach tree variety from a reputable nursery. Peach trees are susceptible to many diseases. Cling peach trees need to be grafted, and to prevent disease, this should be done by a professional. When buying a cling peach tree, ask for a healthy 3-foot tree grafted onto Nemaguard rootstock, which is resistant to nematode damage.

2. Prepare the soil at a site with full sun and well-drained soil, as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring. Till the ground with a rototiller or hoe, removing all the weeds to eliminate competition for the plant. Dig a hole with a spade that's just large enough to fit the roots of the plant without bending them.

3. Place the tree upright in the hole. Backfill the soil around the roots. Water deeply to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets. Plant other trees the same way 20 feet apart from one another and other trees.

4. Water the tree, keeping the soil evenly moist until the tree starts growing vigorously. After that point, watering once every three weeks should provide enough moisture for the tree. It may need more during long periods of dry weather.

5. Maintain nutrients for the tree. Eliminate all weeds as they appear, as they steal nitrogen and other nutrients necessary for vigorous growth. Fertilize the cling peach monthly (April to July) after it leafs out in spring. Apply 1 cup of fertilizer marked 21-0-0. The next year, fertilize with 2 cups of 21-0-0 monthly from March to July.

Tips & Warnings

• Prune the cling peach tree to form an "open center." Choose two large scaffold branches. Prune out all the brush in the middle. Thin out the branches, making sure all of them have light. The tree will produce a light load of cling peaches without sufficient light.

References

• University of California: Growing Processing Cling Peaches in California - An Overview
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Home Fruit Production - Stone Fruit
• Grandpa's Orchard: Baby Gold #5 Cling Peach